Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo turn in two of the year’s standout performances, giving Wicked: For Good enough star wattage to soar even as the film stumbles through patches of rushed pacing, uneven storytelling and less catchy songs. Though it never reaches the gravity-defying heights of the original, the final hour lands with force, and John M. Chu’s directing helps push the sequel near the top of what has so far been a relatively soft 2025 slate—save for outliers like Sinners and Anniversary.
Wicked: For Good Overview
Wicked: For Good takes a bigger swing than the 2025 film, trading the polished intimacy of Shiz for the wide-open sweep of Oz. With the larger scale, Alice Brooks’ cinematography and Chu’s direction stand out even more. Lush vistas and colorful sets help balance the darker themes introduced in the sequel, even if the film does not explore them deeply.
Set five years after the first film, Elphaba (Erivo) has become the villain Ozians are told to fear. Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) drives that narrative. Elphaba now lives in the forest and appears only to protect animals forced to build the Wizard’s yellow brick road. Glinda (Grande) has risen to Oz’s cherished savior. Their warm reunion, sparked by Glinda’s engagement to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), offers Elphaba a possible path back. Glinda urges her to meet with the Wizard one last time.
The script does not always match the performers’ strengths. Grande, Erivo and Bailey deliver work that often surpasses their turns in the first film. Yet the narrative, which closely follows Winnie Holzman’s stage blueprint, keeps both its strengths and its limits. When For Good moves away from the Elphaba–Glinda bond, with Fiyero as the emotional center, the film loses momentum. Attempts to explore animal oppression and prejudice toward Munchkins feel thin.
Grande’s dramatic range becomes the sequel’s standout surprise. Erivo brings commanding vocals and sharp emotional clarity to every scene. Bailey deepens Fiyero’s inner life, and his duet with Erivo on “As Long as You’re Mine” is a highlight.
The first hour’s rushed pacing, thin supporting arcs and uneven Wizard of Oz callbacks can frustrate. The songbook is less instantly catchy, though more intricate. Still, the final hour lands with real force, ending in a climax that earns its emotional payoff.
Need a refresher? Wicked is currently streaming on Prime.
Five-Year Reunion
While Elphaba remains central to For Good, this sequel ultimately belongs to Glinda. As in the first film, a childhood flashback reveals how she learned to see the world through privilege and polished optimism. The sequel then shows how her bond with Elphaba slowly challenges those beliefs and exposes truths she has long avoided.
Publicly, Glinda serves as the Wizard’s ideal spokesperson. She avoids attacking Elphaba outright, but her reluctance to challenge Morrible’s lies frustrates Fiyero. He sees a widening gap between the image Glinda projects and the conviction she lacks. Internally, Glinda is torn apart. She wants to reunite with Elphaba, yet she fears the political cost of standing beside her. Grande captures these shifts with sharp emotional clarity.
When Fiyero vents about Morrible’s propaganda, Glinda’s reaction could seem jealous. Instead, her pain stems from fear for Elphaba’s safety and fear of losing her again.
Elphaba, now living in the forest, returns only to defend animals or counter Morrible’s story. After a bitter split with her sister, she visits Glinda before Glinda’s wedding to Fiyero. Glinda begs her to work with the Wizard, hoping cooperation can repair Oz. Jeff Goldblum’s sly performance of “Wonderful” briefly earns Elphaba’s trust.
That trust collapses when she uncovers another of his secrets. The revelation tears the friends apart again. It also forces Fiyero into a heartbreaking decision that shatters Glinda and reshapes their paths for the rest of the story.
Wicked’s Version of The Wizard of Oz
The connections to characters from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz are thin and often distract from the stronger Elphaba–Glinda storyline.
Dorothy is essentially a prop. The Cowardly Lion, voiced by Colman Domingo, has a compelling backstory involving fear, captivity and resentment toward Elphaba. Still, his screen time is limited to a few lines and the film gives no depth to his trauma. Scarecrow plays a far larger role in the film’s impressive finale.
The standout is the Tin Man’s origin. Nessa (Marissa Bode) now serves as the Mayor of Munchkinland after her father’s death. Boq Woodsman (Ethan Slater, excellent but underused) begins at her side but grows distant as she embraces the Wizard’s anti-animal agenda. After trying to end their relationship, he is trapped when Nessa passes an anti-immigration law that forbids Munchkins from leaving Munchkinland. Boq returns as her servant, clearly miserable.
Elphaba visits Nessa to reconnect. Nessa, now entitled and rigid, refuses to believe Elphaba has ever helped her. Elphaba, still hoping to ease her sister’s pain, casts a spell to let Nessa walk. Boq enters soon after and reveals how far Nessa has fallen. In anger, Nessa uses a spell from the Grimmerie that attacks Boq’s heart. Elphaba saves him by transforming him into the Tin Man. When Tin Man confronts Nessa, she blames Elphaba, sending him on his vengeful path.
Slater shines in Part Two, but Nessa’s sudden shift into full villain mode feels rushed. The weak chemistry between the sisters undercuts the emotional weight of their scenes and slows the film’s momentum.
Wicked: For Good Songs
It’s impossible to discuss Wicked: For Good without addressing the music. The songs in the sequel aren’t as instantly catchy as “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” or “Defying Gravity.” However, they are more layered, reflective, and often darker—though “The Wizard and I” is quite dark with its foreshadowing.
Grande’s rendition of “Thank Goodness” is a standout. She captures Glinda’s desperate attempt to convince herself, Fiyero and all of Oz that her cheerful façade reflects real happiness. The performance feels bright on the surface but deeply strained underneath.
Erivo’s “No Good Deed” delivers one of the film’s most potent moments. Her vocals turn the number into a fierce declaration of Elphaba’s breaking point as the story moves toward its climax. Bailey’s duet with Erivo in “As Long as You’re Mine” lands with the right mix of desire and vulnerability, giving their relationship real emotional heat.
Everything builds toward “For Good,” the emotional centerpiece of the film. Erivo and Grande rise to the moment, delivering a version that feels earned, intimate and deeply moving.
Wicked: For Good Final Thoughts
Wicked: For Good may not match the original film’s sweep of cultural impact, but it succeeds on the strength of its performances, emotional core and ambitious visual scale. Chu reaches for a richer, more expansive Oz. While not every idea fully lands, the result is a sequel that feels bolder and more introspective. Grande and Erivo remain the film’s greatest assets. Their chemistry grounds the story even when the screenplay wanders.
The expanded worldbuilding is a mixed blessing. Oz looks stunning and Brooks’ cinematography offers some of the film’s most memorable imagery. Yet the broader canvas exposes gaps in the storytelling. Side plots, especially Nessa’s rushed turn and the underdeveloped Wizard of Oz connections, pull focus without adding much depth. These detours often distract from the most compelling thread: the evolving, painful and deeply human relationship between Glinda and Elphaba.
Still, the emotional rewards are real. Grande brings newfound depth to Glinda, portraying a woman struggling beneath the weight of expectation and image. She should take home the Oscar at this point. Erivo anchors the film with raw intensity, especially in the final stretch, which ranks among the strongest sequences Chu has directed. Bailey’s expanded role adds further dimension, giving the central trio the emotional stakes the story needs.
The music mirrors the film itself, less immediately iconic, but richer, heavier and more reflective. When it all comes together in the finale, For Good delivers a resolution that feels both earned and affecting. The film may wobble, but its heart remains unwavering.
Wicked: For Good
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Great - 8.5/108.5/10
